Bishop Mtumbuka faults DPP for lawlessness: ‘Kamuzu could not have tolerated the rubbish we see today in Malawi’
Bishop Martin Mtumbuka of the Karonga Diocese of the influential Catholic Church has faulted the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) led government for failing to deal with lawlessness in the country.
Mtumbuka said he was saddened that the law enforcing agencies were weak, especially where some people continue to torture and kill the elderly on suspicion of witchcraft.
He was speaking at the launch of the Karonga Diocese’s Seminary Fund at Mubanga in Chitipa where Vice-President Saulos Chilima was guest of honour.
The bishop said the colonial government and the Malawi Congress Party (MCP), during its 31-year single party rule that ended in May 1994, never tolerated such hooliganism and lawlessness.
“Crimes which could have been dealt with robustly, by the colonial government, even the MCP government of the past are responded to very weakly. The colonial government and certainly Dr. [Hastings] Banda could not have tolerated the rubbish we see today.”
He said: “Mr Vice-President and Honourable Speaker [of Parliament Richard Msowoya], you must address this! We cannot claim to be a functioning State when hooligans and criminals are among us.”
Apart from Vice-President Chilima, the function was also attended by Speaker of the National Assembly Richard Msowoya , self-declared Alliance for Democracy (Aford) president Frank Mwenifumbo and leader of the Umodzi Party Professor John Chisi.
Senior members of DPP shunned the event.
The launch of the fund was held under the theme Living and Praying Together, A Condition Set by Jesus Christ for the Apostles to Receive the Holy Spirit And a Call for Unity.
I never saw any comment from this bishop on the part his fellow priest played on the murder of that ALBINO man. No comment was there either on those senior Catholic members who were caught red handed in a vehicle at LIA doing the sweetest but immoral thing. No wonder it is this church which is famous in sexual scandals word-wide. Imagine a few years ago the Irish Republic which 80% is Catholic voted for gay marriage in a referendum. And Mtumbuka has carriage to tell us how people should live in life. Leave it for others please.
Lawlessness is what you get when you focus too much on the rights of wrongdoers.
Bishop Mtumbuka’so comments show how the church is destroying democracy in our country. The church is becoming an enemy of multiparty democracy.
Arrogant Bishop Mtumbuka and the ever loud-mouthed Catholic Church need to back-off: stop political pandering and the media circus. Bishops and priests are competing to say the nastiest comments against government so that they appear in the news. The Catholic church should stick to the gospel. Leave what belongs to Caesar and practise your religion. The Catholic church does not run Malawi.
That’s the prophetic role of the Church my friend, dont mistakenly take it for arrogance. You want him to just speak nice things? No, he has to point out where things are not moving. If your church doesnt have prophetic dimension then it is half a church. The gospel has to change things in the here and now, there is nothing like your nonsense ‘appear in the new.’
Be careful of what comes out of your mouths (coming from what you have written) Bulutu. Its a fact that crime has reached unprecedented levels and has become the biggest risk for Malawi and is getting out of control. The very government you are defending Bulutu has acknowledged it and profess to dealing with it. Now I don’t know what your argument is against with what has been raised in the article/interview. Is it because there’s the Kamuzu Banda name or that the message is coming from a catholic priest/bishop. hate them all you want Bulutu but the message is spot on. focus on the message and not be driven by your hatred for MCP/Kamuzu banda or the catholic church. Ubulutu is probably the biggest disease that will kill or wipe Malawi and I can see that it is in abundance in Malawi if your argument is anything to go by.
The bishop used wrong podium. That was fundraising launch among catholics
He should have narrowed or restricted himself to the theme.
It’s unfortunate that the Bishop have already forgotten why Malawians voted for Multiparty Politics on 14 June, 1993. Malawi is as it is today because of selfish, greedy Kamuzu who wanted everything for himself. Malawians we don’t need to hear that name called Kamuzu again. Kamuzu killed everything, our history, our culture, our identity. I even wonder if he was really a Malawian. When he was in power Malawi population was 3 to 4 million people. Many people were not educated, and Kamuzu took advantage of that. If Kamuzu was the real man, why he arrested people who gave him the position as leader of the Nyasaand Congress Party. After he won and became President, he chose to arrest all the executive members of the party and the government. People like, Chipembere, Orton Chirwa, the Chisiza brothers and many more. Malawians let us forget this man called Kamuzu and move forward.
I love kamuzu,i got into a good academy and it’s all thanks to kamuzu..
Our Catholic Church is shaming us everyday to the point I’m ashamed to be called Catholic. Our bishops and priests are talking about politics everyday in an attempt to sway people to vote a certain way. Why can’t you concentrate on preaching in the church but also avoiding interfering in politics during public functions. Tatopa kumva maganizo a usiru.
A lot of comments are attacking the Bishop instead of discussing issues. Are you all this dull?
It’s a known fact that crime has escalated in Malawi since Kamuzu era. We used to walk from Bwandilo to Area 18 without any danger during Kamuzu days. Our houses didn’t have fences or burgler bars and we were not robbed.
Streets had lights that worked
Markets were safe and clean
TOday there is lawlessness and it’s not wrong to call upon our leaders to do something about it. The church is the moral campus of society and should continue to point out such vices in our society. I hope those of you who defend this nonsense should fall victim to these criminals
You walked from Bwandiro to Area 18 but lived in pepertual of Malawi Young Pioneers ndi a youth, no freedom of exoression, kugulitsidwa makhadi etc.. . Can’t you see how silly your argument and Bishop Mtumbuka’so words are?
It is these kind of comments that make me believe that Malawi has no hope of redeeming itself. Without making reference to Kamuzu Banda or Bishop Mtumbuka, here are the facts; Malawi is now a crime-ridden country and no one is safe anymore. people are killing each other, stealing from each other or the government, the moral standing of Malawi society is down the drain. We need leaders who can lead Malawi into a society that it deserves to be because generally Malawians are peace loving people and that’s what they had been known for. I dont understand why Sana, you are unable to understand the message beyond your narrow “Kamuzu banda and Bishop mtumbuka” lens. Zinthu sizili bwino Sana. You and your family might just be killed by thugs tomorrow night as criminals are trying to get whatever you have in your house. It won’t be long before Malawi becomes like Johannesburg city.
Besides getting his facts wrong about how the Kamuzu dictatorship dealt with criminals, the Bishop is more than annoying. And he’s ignorant; and insensitive to the thousands, if not millions (if you count collaterals) who suffered from political interference during that evil regime.
And where is the diplomacy when the Bishop chastises the Government when the VP is right there? Nlot even reciprocating the VPs courtesy.
The Bishop seems to be a learned man, beyond Catholicism: and if he was too young to be an astute observer of Kamuzu’s politics, he must have read up on it. Even If only for curiosity. And so, there would be no rationale for lionizing that dictator at all.
Kamuzu must be among the top five of the worst criminal rulers of modern Africa. And in the top ten among the most corrupt too.
Meanwhile those people who were fed to the Nile crocs, disappeared never to be found, died in questionable circumstances (like car accidents), died in prison for spurious “crimes”, deported to Mozambique and elsewhere for religious beliefs, etc etc they all look up to you for moral support. But then this!
What the f…, Bishop Mtumbuka?
The problem with the Catholic Church and its bishops is that they think they own Malawi. They think they are the thinkers who think for us. You are not our thinkers. And the MCP you are trying to support is being led by a pentecostal pastor. Do your thinking if you’re clever.
DPP led by a protestant
How dare this misguided Bishop Mtumbuka forget that Catholic bishops hounded Kamuzu out of power calling him a dictator and killer. Bishop Mtumbuka some of us suffered during Kamuzu so SHUT UP your big mouth.
…shame shame shame! Vatican puppet..did Jesus commemorate politics..no wonder u work for Vatican not God..Kamuzu was cruel ofkoz & pole used to fear..do I have to tel u this?!& u know wat now the world is sophisticated its not like during Kamuzu wakoyo days. U kud die if wat u said u said against Kamuzu.Shame Vatican advocate pretending as holy man! Sis!
Headteacher would like to know if you are one of the hooligans? Are you aspiring to be one?
@ brave heart
Failures like you and your DPP will always find excuses to justify their ineptness. What is sophisticated about arresting and dealing with thugs that caused mayhem at Parliament?. What is sophisticated about deploying heavy police and a times backed by the military to patrol our locations at night the way Rwanda does do deal with igangs terrorizing our hard working citizens?. The bottom line is your president is clueless and inept. Write again
This is the problem with Malawians. Castigating Bishop Mtumbuka for mentioning Kamuzu is missing the message he’s articulating. Malawi currently is a war zone. No one is safe. In the 60s through to early late 90s one could walk late at night from the city to townships without fear of being hacked by criminals. Albino killings, rape cases were all rare. This wasn’t because of Kamuzu’s ruthless leadership but because Malawians were just peaceful people. Today, something has happened to the society and its largely because of the political parties that have done little to uplift the economy. Many young people are unemployed, uneducated and literally have nothing to do and feel very disfranchised. The country is so poor that many people feel that the only way they can feed their families is to do crime. Unfortunately the government is doing little to address the root causes of crime. The govt has also failed in containing crime in the country and it won’t take long before all of you (and your families & relatives) are also affected. So Ndale, Napoleon, Ng’ona and Spinoza place focus on the Bishop Mtumbuka message.
These are very careless words to come from your mouth Bishop. What about the murders that Kamuzu Banda ‘s pioneer thugs carried out? Banda tolerated these, didn’t he? Have you forgettten that Banda nearly killed the lot of you after releasing the Pasrotal letter, the Pope had to send an envoy to come in the nick of time to plead with Tembo to save your lives ? You know he would have killed the Bishops without a blinking , the way he killed Gadama and the others. You have a stupid mouth, Bishop.
You are mixing the story of kamuzu and tembo here, what’s your point or who do you want to attack here cadet
Did Bakili Muluzi not kill in his time?Where is Matafali now…What about Bingu,where is Robert Chasowa now?Stop being primitive and arrogant for nothing.Get the point first before you start to blame someone.All we want is these killings must stop.What we fought for multiparty its not what DPP is doing.Were you happy with what the so called stupid cadets did at the parliament building?You must be ashamed of yourself.What about showing off guns at a rally,is that what we fought for multiparty?
Pitala where is njaunju
Spinoza where is democracy in Malawi very poor and better colonial time and Kamuzu time where we enjoyed vibrant education vibrant economy etc. Not this Rubbish we see today. Chilima is in dpp that make us see rubbish vote MCP and Dr Chakwera to bring back the glory.
I think mtumbuka and your fellow priests were young during magazi crocodile party era. Udzimbidwa nayo banzi wadyayo.
Kamuzu would have fed you, Bishop Tumbuka, to the crocodiles – so you’re probably right. Why are you and our church leaders interfering in politics. The church has got its own problems and sins. Can you please stop trying to influence the people with your misguided views.
Bishop Mtumbuka I don know is you have checked the Catholic Church first if it is doing well.
1: the killing of people with albinism is the church, one of the priest, do not deny him now like the way Peter denied Jesus on the day he was taken.
2: The father’s are having children in the villages, taking advantage of vulnerable women, and who is going to give direction to these children, no wonder you are blaming them, because their father’s are still serving in the Altars.
3: The Catholic Church has been rocked with scandals of sex abuse for altar boys, nuns are leaving with pregnancies every year, what are you doing.
Kamuzu did not respect human rights hence people suffered under his rule. People lost property which was taken by notorious youth, and MYP.
If Kamuzu was good as per your opinion why the Catholic Bishops were against him?
Every Monday, Wednesday, Friday ,Saturday and Sunday you are conducting mass , what do you preach to these people because some are your members wearing korona on their necks everywhere.
You conduct sacraments of repentance do you rebuke them when they tell you what they have been doing. Bishop, if I were you I will keep my mouth shut because you have got a role as a church to preach love and let is be seen in our members. Then if you can then quit and take care of those children you have, give them direction. Is the church not empowered to give divine direction to its christians. You have hate for the DPP but let me remind you that Jesus preached love and not hate. Yes he rebuked, but do you rebuke your congregation of their behaviour. Before you cast the first stone , think properly.
Go back to school for an English language lesson my dear.
Causing, whatever you call yourself, you have to know that other brains are fast in thinking than in typing and some are tying error and we do read on this forum from reporters. Shame on you.
Tears flowing for Dr Hastings Kamuzu Banda!! Akatolika you demonised Kamuzu. Kamuzu is no more to direct the affairs of this nation with his youth league and MYP which were issuing selective justice to Malawians. We thank heavens that you Bishop Mutumbuka have skipped the criminal activities done on people with albinism. Please Dada Bishop don’t hide your head in the wetlands surrounded with reeds
Now somebody has finally said it .This country would be somewhere prosperous today if Kamuzu was alive. Malawians please vote Chilima and see what he can do.Give him a chance and you might be pleasantly surprised.Nothing will change if these so called politicians are back in office in 2019.
Yes, with half the population fed to crocodiles by Kamuzu. What stupid thinking from the Bishop Mtumbuka and some of you lot.
Yes kamuzu wouldn’t tolerate it but he could have also gone too far to the extent that you (bishops) would have also complained. U can’t compare dark ages with the new era of democracy. By the way what do u suggest the gvt should do to curb the malpractice? Oooh Mr reporter, chilima is also a DPP senior.